A CHARLOTTE MASON PLENARY PLUTARCH PICTURE STUDY

PRINT #1 PLUTARCH’S LIFE OF PERICLES

Dispute between Minerva and Neptune over the Naming of the City of Athens Resource for Lesson #1: The Golden Age of Athens

By René-Antoine Houasse, c. 1689 Oil on canvas, 130 x 184 cm, 51 x 72 inches Palace of Versailles, France

Painting Information This painting depicts the battle between Athena and Poseidon for the patronage of the ancient Greek cityof Cecropia. The artist, René-Antoine Houasse, chose to use the Roman names of Minerva and Neptune, rather than the Greek names of Athena and Poseidon for the title. You can see Athena bathed in light on the right side of the painting. She strikes the ground and brings forth the olive tree. As she does this, she looks to her father, Zeus, in the upper left-hand corner. In steep contrast is Poseidon, in the lower left-hand side of the frame, darkened by shadow. He strikes the ground with his trident and out comes a black horse. He also looks to Zeus. Most retellings of this legendary battle claim that Poseidon struck the ground and a salt-water spring emerged, but the artist has chosen to tell the alternate version of the story where Poseidon creates the first horse as a giftfor mankind. In the upper part of the painting you can see various other Greek gods. Zeus sits in the middle, watching the battle and possibly judging who should be awarded the prize of protector of the city. We can venture that the Greek god sitting to the left of Zeus is Cronos, as he often carries a scythe with him. Other gods and goddesses make up the rest of the audience members who have come to witness this contest. Athena is declared the winner and the city’s name is changed to Athens, in honor of the goddess.

This painting resides in the Palace of Versailles in France. René-Antoine Houasse was a French painter who worked in the palace under the direction of artist Charles Le Brun. Houasse did a series of nine paintings about the various legends surrounding the goddess Athena, or Minerva.

Plenary Questions 1) Do you think the artist did a good job at telling the story? 2) Why do you think the artist chose to depict the moment at which both Athena and Poseidon strike the ground? 3) How does the use of light contribute to the story-telling of the painting? 4) If you did not know the story, would you assume that the winner of the contest was Athena or Poseidon? Why?

Space for Your Own Discussion Questions and Notes:

Copyright © A Charlotte Mason Plenary, LLC DISPUTE BETWEEN MINERVA AND NEPTUNE OVER THE NAMING OF THE CITY OF ATHENS René-Antoine HOUASSE